A Thousand Miles
by White Rose of Wutai
Summary: Gavin is left, naked, beaten and bloody, on the doorstep of the Rooster Teeth office after being date raped. At first, no one has any idea who the rapist was, but Geoff has sworn revenge on the arsehole who dared touch his pseudo-son. Then some eye witnesses come forward, with statements that shock the employees of Rooster Teeth to the very core. Eventual Mavin (Michael/Gavin)
1. Chapter 1 - Raw

"HOLY SHIT, GAVIN!"  
"What the FUCK has happened? Joel call a fucking ambulance!"  
"On it!"

Gavin could hear the words, and registered that they were coming from three of his colleagues. He wondered what they sounded so upset about. He shivered, realising he was cold- why was he cold? Wasn't he in bed? Actually, what the bloody hell were Geoff, Gus and Joel doing in his bedroom? He tried to ask them, but found the words unable to leave his mouth. Jesus, how much had he had to DRINK last night!? Groggily, he opened his eyes, but instantly had to close them again. Why was it so bright in his room; did he not close the curtains last night? Just as he realised he was still shivering, he felt the weight of what felt like a coat cover his body, and hands tucking it around him. Groaning, he slowly attempted to open his eyes again, finding the light more manageable this time. He could see two pairs of feet standing on concrete in front of his face. Before he even began to question why he was laying on concrete, and not in his bed as he had assumed, a panic stricken face appeared in front of him.  
"HIS EYES ARE OPEN! Gav? Gav can you hear me?"  
He tried to put all the questions he had into words, but all that came out was a small and croaky "Geoff?"  
"Oh thank Christ! Thank fucking Christ! What happened to you, who did this?"  
Gavin was confused. What was Geoff looking so worried about? He dimly recalled Gus asking Joel to call 911. _What the hell is happening here?_ He tried to ask, but again all that came out was an even more pathetic sounding "Geoff?"  
"I'm here- I'm right here buddy, don't worry, were gonna get you help; just stay with me ok?"  
"Geoff...look at these bruises... " Gus's voice came from somewhere out of his field of vision, but Gav could hear the severity in his tone.  
It wasn't until he heard a sharp intake of breath and a snarl of "MotherFUCKER" from the same direction as Gus's voice, that Gavin realised that Geoff's face had disappeared from in front of him. He tried again to ask what had happened to him, why he couldn't move, but once more all that escaped his lips was a panicked wail of "Geoff!"  
His pseudo-father was back almost instantly, and this time Gavin noticed that his eyes were glazed with angry tears, and weakly managed to reach a hand out towards him. Geoff grasped it and held it, whispering soothingly. Gavin found himself drifting back into unconsciousness. The last thing he heard before he blacked out again was Joel on the phone again.  
"Hello, Police? Yes I'd like to report a sexual assault."

When Gavin came round again, first thing he noticed was that he was in a hospital bed. Second thing he realised was that Geoff's hand was still around his own. He turned his head lazily, still a little groggy, and saw the older man sitting in a chair beside his bed. Apparently, Geoff either didn't agree with Gavin's opinion that all hospital chairs were uncomfortable by nature, or just didn't give a fuck, as he appeared to be deeply asleep.  
As his mind and vision gradually became less foggy, Gavin realised he was attached to a drip. Urrgh, he grimaced. He HATED needles! He briefly considered ripping it out; like they always do in films, when instead Geoff- who had apparently NOT been as sound asleep as Gavin had presumed- suddenly had his arms around him, and was, Gavin could only assume, attempting to squeeze every last bit of air out of the lad! He was only released when he started coughing, which then somehow set off his hair-trigger gag reflex, causing him to cough even more violently and flail wildly until Geoff let him go.  
Still gasping, and slightly purple in the face, he looked up at Geoff, grinning in spite of his lack of oxygen.  
"Alright Geoffers! What's going on?"  
He noticed how tired Geoff looked, and the tell-tale red rings around his eyes, but something told him to ignore it, so he pushed it to the back of his mind, and instead sat up, still grinning at his friend.  
Geoff looked worriedly at Gavin, confusion crossing his features.  
"Gav...do you know why you're here, in hospital?"  
"Nope!' replied the lad, a touch too cheerfully, "I imagine it was my fault though- did I 'Gav up' a bet or something?" Gavin was still smiling.  
A smile that Geoff suddenly realised did not reach his eyes.  
"Gav..." Geoff hesitated, not sure how much to tell the boy about what the Doctors had told him about what happened, or even how much Gavin himself actually remembered already.  
"Gavin" He tried again "We...Joel, Gus and I, came in early to plan a new short, and we...found you. Outside, on the door step of the main office. You were...well shit dude, you were messed up! You were covered in bruises and blood; someone had...left you there." He hesitated again, noticing Gavin's smile was still fixed to his face. Fuck, would he give anything to not be the one who had to tell him. He had been terrified when he had gone into work this morning to find the lad, who might as well be his dumb-ass British son, lying there, completely out of it, covered in his own blood. He had insisted on going with him in the ambulance, leaving Gus and Joel to talk to the Police and call everyone important to Gavin to tell them what had happened.  
"Dude" Geoff continued "you were...you were drifting in and out of consciousness. We were scared you wouldn't wake up! Gus and I tried to keep you awake and keep you warm, whilst Joel called an ambulance...and the Police." Geoff swallowed, eyes never leaving Gavin's face. The boy was still sitting there, just staring back at Geoff, that lightless grin still plastered on his face. "You were... naked. The Doctors found some kind of drug in your system when they ran some tests... Some guy... last night, some fucking arsehole at the bar must have slipped something into your drink without anyone noticing. He beat you up...strangled you; you have bruises round your neck. Gavin. Buddy." Geoff swallowed again, seeing the grin waver, and slowly fade "you were...He raped you, Gavin, I am so, so sorry."

The room was silent. Geoff looked at Gavin worriedly, but the boy didn't say a word; just sat there in the bed, still smiling slightly, staring back at Geoff.  
Then suddenly he was gagging; hazy memories hurling themselves forward from the back of his mind where he had pushed them, hitting him like a freight train. He lent over the side of his bed, and vomited violently. Geoff rushed forwards to help, but no sooner had he grabbed the Brits hand, Gavin wrenched it away, glaring at the older man.  
"GET THE FUCK OFF ME, GET AWAY!" Gavin screeched, still coughing slightly.  
"I'm sorry, shit man I'm sorry, look see, no touching!" Geoff quickly backed away from his friend, cursing himself for being so stupid; hands raised so Gavin could see them.  
"I...I'm sorry Geoff, I can't...I just...Leave. Please, please just go." Gavin begged, his eyes filled with tears.  
Geoff nodded, backing towards the door. "I'm sorry dude, I'll give you time. I'll go get a nurse or something, let them know you're awake." He could see Gavin was desperately trying not to cry in front of him, as he hurried out of the door. "I'll be right outside if you need me, okay buddy? You don't have to be alone." He saw Gavin nod, but doubted the broken looking boy was really hearing him anymore.  
He closed the door behind him, and stood in the corridor; frozen in fury. How could someone DO this to Gavin? The guy could be annoying as fuck at times, but who the fuck would ever want to hurt him, especially like this?  
Geoff stormed down the hall to the reception, where his wife and Michael and Ray were anxiously waiting for any news on Gavin.  
Geoff swore to any Gods who were listening that he would find the fucker who did this, and rip his fucking dick off through his mouth. No one could just beat the shit out of Gavin and leave him broken and bloody on his work doorstop, and expect to fucking survive. 


	2. Chapter 2 - Run, Little Creeper Boy

It was still pitch black when Geoff jerked awake. For a moment he just lay there, listening to the slow breathing of his wife -who was still asleep beside him- unsure of what had roused him. Although, this in itself wasn't exactly new to Geoff- his years serving in the military, combined with his natural keen hearing and being a parent, had turned him into a very light sleeper. It was not unheard of for him to be awoken by the sound of his daughter, Millie, turning over in her sleep in the room next door.  
The reason behind tonight's disturbance quickly became apparent, however, when the phone rang down the hall, deafening to his sensitive ears, in the otherwise silent house.  
Groaning, Geoff forced himself to roll out of bed and checked the time. Who the FUCK was calling at half two in the fucking morning!? Grumbling to himself, he trudged to the phone, kneading the heels of his palms into his heavy lidded eyes sleepily. Picking up the receiver, he mumbled an unintelligible greeting into the phone, trying and failing to muster up the energy to sound as pissed off as he felt.  
'Hi, am I speaking to a Mr Geoffrey...Laser...Ramsay?'  
Geoff grunted non-committaly in response. It was WAY to fucking early to deal with this crap!  
'Mr Ramsay, I'm sorry to call you so late, but I'm Nurse Hemley from Victory Medical Center, Austin-'  
Geoff blinked, instantly more awake now.  
'-we have a Mr Gavin David Free here, who is _insisting_ on leaving out care- against recommendation I might add- right away, and you are listed as his contact in this situation. Would you-'  
'I'll come get him right away!' Geoff cut her off  
'Great, how soon should Mr Free expect you?'  
'I'll be there in 15 minutes.'  
'Excellent, I'll let him know. Sorry again for calling so late, but Mr Free was insistent.'  
'No, don't worry about it. I'll leave right away. Goodbye.' Geoff ended the conversation hurriedly and hung up.  
He ran to the bathroom, stumbling a little in his haste. Filling up the sink, he grabbed a near-by flannel, and dunked it in the cold water, and proceeded to vigorously rub his face with it, hoping the coldness of the water combined with the roughness of the flannel would be enough to keep him alery enough to drive. When he felt more with-it, he rushed back into the bedroom, somehow managing to keep his speed, and yet still be careful and quiet, so as not to wake his wife. He put on jeans over his pyjama pants, and pulled on the first shirt he grabbed, whilst throwning a hastily scribbled note -pickin gav up frm hosp, back soon, luv u xx- onto his pillow, on the off-chance Griffon wakes up before he got back.  
He only just remembered to stuff his feet into shoes, before heading out of the house and starting up the car. He glanced at his watch, and was only minorly surprised to see that he had only hung up the phone three minutes ago.

He arrived at the hospital in record time, and was forced to stand impatiently in the reception to wait for Gavin. Soon enough, the doors opened to reveal Gavin, scowling up at the nurse who was pushing the wheelchair he was in. Geoff was about to panic and ask why Gav needed a chair, when he noticed the vice-like grip the nurse currently had on his shoulder, and guessed that his legs where in fact, perfectly functional, and he was simply being forced to leave in a wheelchair due to hospital policy.  
This assumption proved to be correct as Gav and the nurse approached him.  
'I can walk perfectly fine! Geoff, tell her I can bloody well leave on my own two legs!'  
Geoff couldn't help but let out a bark of laughter as the Brit stared up at him imploringly, eyes wide. He nodded to the nurse, who smiled at him gratefully before scurrying off back to her duties.  
Before Gav could do more than let out an indignant 'HEY!' of protest, Geoff had gently but firmly pushed him back down into the chair he had be just about to get up from, seized the handles, and wheeled the protesting man out of the hospital.

Geoff parked the car haphazardly, too tired to care that it was actually more covering the lawn rather than the gravel of the driveway (he would almost certainly pay for that in the morning when Griffon noticed, but right now he couldn't find the energy to give a fuck) and unlocked the front door. Gavin pretty much launched himself into the house as soon as the door was opened, and had already dumping his jacket unceremoniously on the floor in front of the coat hook and made his way into the living room, before Geoff had even fully shut the door behind him. He trudged after him, shrugging of his own coat and depositing it on top of Gavs (another thing to care about later) and joined the Brit on the sofa.  
Geoff desperately wanted to ask if Gavin was ok- if he remembered anything from his ordeal that would help him track down the arsehole that hurt him, but instead only stared at the floor awkwardly, not wanting to trigger another panic attack in the man.  
The silence stretched on until Geoff could stand it no more, and looked up at Gavin, intending to ask him if he wanted a drink, or a meal, or anything to break the silence, but he found the young man already staring at him with a confused look on his face.  
'Um...Geoff?' Gavin spoke before Geoff could ask 'not that I'm judging you or anything... but did you really think picking me up from the hospital was the ideal time and place for such a plunging neckline?'  
Geoff furrowed his brow in confusion, and looked down at himself to find that he was in fact wearing his wifes favourite royal blue v-neck tank top. 'God fucking damn it. Griffon is gonna be PISSED when she wakes up!'  
Giggling softly, Gavin repositioned himself so he was lying across the sofa with his head on Geoffs lap. His giggles turned to gentle hums and sighs of contentment as Geoff softly ran his fingers through the Brits wild mane of hair, whispering reassuringly.  
Gav found himself dozing, not really listening to the words the older man was saying, just recognising the tone as safe and comforting. Just as he was about to nod off, two of the words Geoff had been murmuring, suddenly broke through the drowsy haze, and pierced his protective bubble.  
Yelping and flailing wildly, he wrenched away from the other man, launching himself off of the sofa and into the corner of the room. Geoff had been half asleep himself, and could only blink, mouth partially open in shock as Gavin curled himself into a ball, and rocked backwards and forwards, sobbing as though he would never stop. The boys hands were clamped over his ears, eyes squeezed tightly shut.  
It was only when he heard Griffon running down the stairs, that Geoff shook himself out of his own panic enough to realise the words that Gavin was shouting through his sobs.

'_I'm NOT your Creeper Boy! I'm NOT, I'm NOT!'  
_


	3. Chapter 3 - My Boi!

Gavin awoke in the morning, only momentarily surprised to realise he was in his own bed.  
It had taken a good forty-five minutes (and a helpful slap round the face from Griffon) for the Ramseys to pull him out of his panic attack the previous night. He distinctly remembered wrapping himself around Griffon -after her slap had yanked him out of his bad mind place and back to reality- and refusing to let go until he eventually fell asleep with both Ramseys hugging him, as they all curled up together in a silent ball on the sofa. He figured that Geoff must have carried him out to his little hut in the garden after he fell asleep.

He glanced at his alarm clock on his night stand, and sighed when he saw that it was time to get up for work.  
Stretching and groaning, he sat up and flung his legs out of bed, only to recoil them with a yelp as his feet collided with something soft that yelled 'FUCK!'  
Geoff sat up and glared at Gavin from the floor, where he had apparently decided to spend the night.  
'What the...Geoff, what the bloody hell are you doing down there you mong!?'  
Geoff groaned, rubbing his forehead where Gavin's foot had stuck him. 'YOU asked me to stay with you, jackass! I put you in bed, and was about to leave, when you woke up and literally begged me not to leave you on your own, so being the fucking tippy top boss that I am, I fucking slept on your hard as dicks floor so you would go back to fucking sleep.'  
Gavin blushed furiously as the entirety of last night's events flooded back to him. He looked down at his bed sheet, picking at it so as to not make eye contact with Geoff. Several minutes of awkward silence passed, until Geoff broke it with a grunt.  
'Well, I gotta get to fucking work. Go back to sleep, take the day off. I'll be back for lunch, so I'll see you then, asshole.'  
He made a move to leave the room, but Gavin lunged forward, grabbing his arm and pulling him back. He turned around to see Gavin looking up at him from the bed, eyes slightly misty with tears he was desperately trying to hold back.  
'Geoff, I wanna go to work. Please let me go to work.'  
Geoff sighed again, running his hands through his hair. 'Gavin...' he said gently 'you need some time to like...heal 'n shit. Get some rest, recuperate or something. That nurse gave you the number of a therapist to talk to about what happened. The guys will all understand why you don't come in. Please just take a few weeks off or something.'  
'Geoff I'm FINE. I don't need a bloody therapist to diagnose me with shit and waste my time and money. I wanna go to work, see my friends, edit some bloody videos, mong about in Minecraft and just get on with my smegging life!'  
Geoff looked away, allowing Gavin to furiously wipe away the angry tears that he hadn't been able to keep from falling. He sighed again, pinching the bridge of his nose in frustration.  
He looked back up, internally cursing when he saw that Gavin was using fucking puppy dog eyes that the Brit just _knew _he could never resist.  
'Get dressed, asshole, I'm leaving in 20 minutes- with or without you.' Geoff conceded reluctantly.

Gavin was ready within 5 minutes, and had bugged Geoff so much that they ended up being the first people to arrive at the office.  
Once he was sure Gavin was fine with being alone, Geoff headed to the kitchen to grab the cup of coffee he had been denied before leaving the house, because a certain someone had been in too much of a fucking hurry to get to the office.  
Although Geoff was acting like his usual asshole self around Gavin, he was actually extremely worried about the kid. He loved Gavin like a son, and he knew him well enough to be able to see when he was actually hurting, and just trying to maintain the British 'stiff-upper-lip' attitude.  
When he got back to the office, Ray had arrived, and was talking animatedly with Gavin. Geoff was happy to see a genuine smile on Gavin's face, and flashed a grin and a thumbs up behind Gavin's back at Ray, receiving a small nod and a smile in return.

The morning ran pretty much as normal- although the guys were all very much less grabby with him than they usually were, which he was secretly extremely grateful for. He came to realise that Geoff must have told them all exactly what had happened, and not to bring it up, as not a single person mentioned his bruises or his stay in the hospital at all. Plus Jack had been shooting him sympathetic glances whenever he thought Gavin wasn't looking, and he noticed Ryan and Michael being more lenient and slower to call him out on fuck ups in the lets plays they filmed. He briefly wondered if he should be annoyed that his boss had broken confidence and informed all of his co-workers that he had been drugged and raped, but honestly? He was just immensely relieved that he didn't have to answer any uncomfortable or possibly panic triggering questions.  
By the time lunch rolled around, Geoff clearly thought he was capable of being left alone for extended periods of time, as he had decided to go out home for lunch, and didn't bat an eyelid when Gavin politely declined his offer of joining him. Jack had a lunch date with Caiti, so he too exited the office without insisting Gavin come with him. Michael and Ray however had been less comfortable with leaving him behind when they went to Taco Bell -not quite buying his excuse of having editing to do- but they too eventually shrugged and left him to it. Eventually, it was just him and Ryan left in the office, sitting in a comfortable silence. Ryan had elected to bring a packed lunch with him, and was sitting on his sofa, taking occasional bites of a sandwich whilst editing the latest GTA V lets play, brows furrowed slightly in concentration.

Gavin lent back on his chair, stretching in feline-esque fashion, before turning back to his monitor. Well, while he is here, he might as well actually _do_ the editing he had fobbed Michael and Ray off with. He grinned smugly when he opened the file to discover that all he had to do was combine the game footage, with the camera footage that Lindsay filmed of the passing of the Tower of Pimps from Geoff's desk to Michaels. He sat back again, sniggering as he watched the familiar antics of the Achievement Hunters. Michael was doing a victory dance with Gavin, who was whooping and cheering 'TEAM NICE DINAMITE MI-COOL!' as Ryan just sat shaking his head at the camera, arms crossed in disappointment, but unable to prevent an amused smirk spreading across his face.  
Michael grabbed the tower from Geoff's desk, and ceremoniously placed it on his own obsidian block, as Gav continued to bounce around the office, tripping over chairs and stepping on everyone. 'You motherfucker! You didn't even win, you mincey little prick!' Geoff pounced on Gavin, causing the younger man to let out a squawk of laughter, as his boss proceeded to hold him in a headlock and scruff his head, grinning like Cheshire cat.  
'Yeah, you like that you little bitch! That's what you get for losing me the fucking tower, jackass!'

Gavin's felt his chest tighten, as if an invisible boa constrictor had wrapped around him, as on screen Gavin doubled up laughing and flail around as Geoff grabbed at him. His eyes were glued to the monitor, unable to look away as he watched the two of them rassle on the office floor, cheered on by their co-workers. His gaze was drawn to Geoff's arms as they pinned him to the floor, his tattoos blurring into a mass of colour, as Gavin's vision began to blur, and he realised that he wasn't breathing. He let out a strangled wail as he attempted to take in as much oxygen as possible, but his breaths were too sharp and shallow to be effective. He felt himself slip from his chair, and his arms shoot out on their own accord to attempt to grab the edge of his desk.

Ryan reached Gavin just after he hit the floor, his laptop and lunch abandoned, headphone yanked off of his head and thrown haphazardly behind him. He picked the boy off of the floor, and sat him up on the sofa, crouching in front of him, forcing him to make eye contact as he talked; trying to get him to slow his breathing to control the hyperventilating.  
Slowly Gavin's vision began to clear, and Ryan's face came into focus in front of him. With tears pouring down his cheeks, he reached desperately, searching for purchase on the older man's hand. Ryan obliged, rubbing small circles on the back of Gavin's hand with his thumb comfortingly. They sat there for a while –Ryan never leaving Gavin's direct line of vision- until Gavin's breathing gradually slowed to a normal pace.  
'How...how did you react so fast?' Gavin croaked, half heartedly wiping away the tears that were still rolling down his face.  
Ryan shifted, slightly uncomfortably, blushing a little.  
'I...err...I was keeping an eye out for it. I had a friend at college who went through something similar, and she had panic attacks a lot afterwards. I learned how to help her deal with them.'  
'Oh.'  
They sat in awkward silence for a few minutes, Ryan's eyes still never leaving Gavin's face, despite Gavin himself pointedly looking away, too embarrassed to make eye-contact.  
Eventually Ryan moved to gather his forgotten stuff, grimacing as he realised that the remainder of his sandwich had landed on the floor.  
'Thanks.' Gavin blurted out, looking back at Ryan smiling gratefully.  
Ryan grinned back at him, resting a hand momentarily on his shoulder.

'MINECRAFT TIME MOTHERFUCKERS, EVERYBODY GET YOUR ASSES BACK IN HERE.'  
Geoff strode back into the office, his smirk slipping as he saw Gavin shrink back into Ryan's sofa, tears still staining his face.  
Concern flooded his face as he moved towards the lad, reaching an arm out towards him. His worry quickly turned to alarm, however, as the boy leaped up and scurried across the room to hide under Ray's desk, whimpering slightly, arms covering his head defensively.  
Geoff turned to Ryan, his expression perplexed and slightly scared. Ryan narrowed his eyes briefly in return, and moved to join Gavin on the floor, pulling the sobbing boy into his arms, holding him securely.  
'I don't know what it is exactly Geoff, but something about you is obviously bothering him. I think you should go for a while.' Ryan stated kindly but firmly.  
Geoff was about to argue, as he was deeply concerned at Gavin's behaviour, but a glare from Ryan made it clear that the matter was not up for negotiation. Nodding at Ryan, and shooting one last anxious look at his pseudo-son crumpled in Ryan's arms, he backed out of the office.

Once he was sure Geoff was gone, Gavin looked up at Ryan, clinging to the older man's chest. He knew he should feel weird about sitting pretty much in his friends lap, having just completely freaked out and hidden like a baby rabbit, but he felt so safe in his arms, that it didn't concern him at all.  
'Hey there. You ok now?' Ryan murmured gently, not wanting to spook the boy again.  
Gavin nodded, wiping his face on his sleeve.  
'Wanna talk about it?'  
Gavin shrugged, attempting to be nonchalant, but Ryan felt him tense up slightly against his chest.  
He expected them to lapse into silence again, so he was surprised when Gavin shifted slightly in his arms, and began to talk.  
'Geoff...his hair, and beard...he looks like _him. _Even his tattoos...' Gavin shivered 'I can't remember much, but watching that video of Geoff...it jogged some memories. I just...' Gavin gulped and buried his face in his hands, causing Ryan to pull him closer.  
'Do you wanna go home with someone else tonight? I'd offer, but my kids would keep you awake all night... might not be ideal.'  
Gav nodded. 'I'll ask Michael.' He said, pulling out his phone and firing off a quick text.  
He gave Ryan one last hug, and pulled himself away to sit back at his desk. Ryan stood up, dusted off his jeans and also strode back over to continue his editing, ruffling Gav's hair fondly as he passed.  
Gavin smiled, feeling a huge rush of affection towards Ryan. They had never really spent much time together, even within the office, but the older man had not only rushed to his aide without a moment's thought, but had actually been looking out for him just in case he needed help.  
He felt a buzz from his pocket, and pulled his phone out again, guessing that it was Michael replying to his request to stay with him for a while.  
He expected a torrent of questions from the quick tempered Jersey Boy, but saw only one line in reply.

'_Course ya can gavvers. Ur my boi! 3'_


	4. Chapter 4 - Weekend at Mikeys (part 1)

Gavin sat awkwardly in Michael's car, nervously shifting in his seat, looking down at his converse.  
He wanted to make conversation, never having been one to be comfortable with silence, but for the life of him he could not think of a topic to bring up.  
Michael glanced over at the lad as they paused at a red light, noticing the restless twitch in his friend's leg, and the way he was rapidly drumming his fingers nervously against the passenger door.  
He did not know what exactly had occurred during lunch that caused him to want to stay with Michael rather than go home with Geoff, but when Michael had returned to the office, Gavin was curled up on Ryan's sofa, practically snuggled up into his armpit, with the older man's arm slung loosely and protectively over his shoulder. Michael had shot a questioning look at Ryan upon seeing this, but had only received a small glare and a shake of the head that clearly told him not to ask about or draw attention to Gavin's behaviour. Michael had nodded to confirm he had understood, and nipped back outside the room to warn the others not to mention anything when they entered the office. He didn't think they would be douchebags about it, but he didn't want to take the risk and have anyone upset his boy.  
Eventually it became clear that Geoff was not coming back to the office. Ray had run into Joel on his way back from the bathroom, and had been informed that their boss had taken up temporary residence in Burnie's office, and apparently not spoken to anyone since lunch. Gavin had fallen asleep with his head on Ryan's lap, so the others decided not to tell him how badly Geoff was taking the situation. Ryan hadn't divulged any of what happened, but had indicated that Gavin's current mood and Geoff's disappearance were indeed linked

After about fifteen minutes of driving in awkward silence, Michael couldn't stand it anymore.  
'What you wanna do Gavvers? It's Friday, so we can spend all weekend playing teh viddiya gamz!' Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Gavin jump slightly, having not expected Michael to suddenly begin talking. He looked towards Michael, chewing his lip worriedly, considering how to answer. Eventually he just shrugged.  
'Whatever you want to do Michael. I don't wanna be a bother, I just...couldn't...with Geoff.' He whispered, shuddering as he tried to get rid of the images his brain was supplying of Geoff and his roughhousing taking on more sinister tones.  
'C'mon Gavin, it'll be fun! We can take down some bustas on Halo, order some pizza, stay up late, braid each other's hair, paint our nails and talk about cute boys!' Michael turned to grin at Gavin, and his heart jumped a little as their eyes met and a small, shy smile spread across the lads face. Michael vowed right then and there, to whatever god, goddess or higher being that was listening, that he would do anything in his power to help Gavin return to his usual carefree, laughing, smiling self.  
The rest of the ride home was filled with Michael chattering, telling Gavin amusing stories and anecdotes from his jobs before Rooster Teeth, with Gavin giggling in all the right places and even chiming in with his own comments once or twice. Michael thought his smile was going to split his face in half when Gavin doubled over in his seat, laughing uncontrollably as Michael described his method of clearing a client's blocked toilet. All in all the last leg of the journey was far more comfortable and pleasant than the first half.

Although Gavin had stayed over at Michaels many times before, he stood by the door after being ushered inside; awkwardly shifting from foot to foot, waiting for Michael's permission to fully enter the apartment. Michael rolled his eyes at him whilst firing up his xbox.  
'You can come in ya know Gav, I'm not gonna bite yo-shit!' Michael cut himself up, and froze; eyes wide and locked on Gavin. He had forgotten that Geoff had mentioned that there were bite marks on Gavin's stomach and legs.  
Gavin winced slightly, but stepped boldly towards Michael, snatching up the player two controller before plonking himself down in the sofa. The way he looked up at Michael was almost daring the red-head to call him out on his attitude, but internally Michael was over the moon at his boi's reaction. Externally though, he just shot a smile at him, and sat down carefully next to Gavin, making sure not to touch him- Ryan had made sure that everyone was fully aware not to touch, or attempt to touch, the Brit unless he gives his consent. So far, Ryan himself had been the only one Gavin felt comfortable enough with to let him make the first move to make physical contact with him, as Ryan had absentmindedly brushed the lad's hair out of his eyes when he eventually woke up, and had pulled the boy into a secure hug before allowing him to leave with Michael.  
They grinned at each other for a few seconds, Michael feeling a rush of warmth run through him at seeing the genuine smile on Gavin's face. He had a sudden urge to reach out and take the other man's hand in his own, but suppressed it. Nothing was worth triggering a panic attack in his best friend. Also, as scrappy as he was, he did _not_ fancy his chances against Ryan if the much taller man found out he had dismissed his warning. Instead, Michael blushed and looked away, launching them into an online Halo match. It was just the two of them and a bunch of randomers in a team death-match. Michael soon got lost in the heat of the game, yelling into his headset, cussing out anyone who dared shoot at his character, or barking expletives at members of his own team who he felt weren't pulling their weight. He didn't actually care about the outcome of the game as much as he was making out, but he could hear Gavin cracking up with laughter next to him every time he yelled out a jumbled insult. He would yell 'fuck nugget' and 'shit weasel' til his voice was horse and his face was blue, if it meant that Gavin would keep laughing.  
The match ended with their team victorious. Gavin hadn't contributed to the win much, but he was having fun and to Michael; that was all that mattered. He got up, chucking his controller down onto the sofa, and stretching.  
'Ima get a beer- you want in?'  
Gavin let out a squeaky moan that Michal took to mean 'yes please' so stumbled out of the living room to the kitchen.  
He yanked open the fridge, and tutted at the lack of options. He really needed to stock up on bevs at some point. Maybe he can convince Gavin to come shopping with him tomorrow.  
Grabbing two bottles of _Stella_ and a bottle opener from the cabinet, he returned to the living room. Gavin had started a new round, and was talking to the other players over Michael's second headset. Michael stood behind the sofa, intending to walk round and deposit the unopened beer in Gavin's lap, but he paused, noticing how Gavin's hands were shaking holding the controller.  
'I...I'm sorry...I'll be...be better' Gavin was whispering.  
Michael frowned, and instead dropped into his seat and pulled his own headset on to try and catch what was being said.  
'_-ttle faggot, youre fucking useless Gavinofree! Where'd your buddy go? He was a fucking nut job, but at least he helped us win the round, not like you, you useless fucking cunt! Are you even trying, or just sitting around waiting to get your ass raped? Worthless fucking fag-'  
_Michael ripped the headsets off of both his and Gavin's heads, furious. He launched them across the room; not caring in the slightest when one hit the wall and cracked.  
'FUCKING ASSHOLE JERK-OFF! WHO THE FUCK DOES HE THINK HE IS? WHERE DOES HE FUCKING GET OFF BEING SUCH A FUCKING FUCKER, HUH!? ASSHOLES PROBABLY A FUCKING 28 YEAR OLD VIRGIN LIVING IN HIS MOMMAS BASEMENT, JERKING OFF TO PORN EVERY NIGHT CUZ HE CANT GET A REAL LIFE PERSON TO TOUCH HIS FUCK UGLY, TINY ASS MICRO DICK!' Michael raged, storming around the room, slamming both controllers aggressively in their places on his entertainment system and yanking the cables out of his Xbox, not giving a fuck if it damaged the console or not.  
'I...I'm sorry...Michael.' Gavin whimpered, curling into a ball on the couch, close to tears.  
Michael whipped round  
'SORRY? What the FUCK have YOU got to be sorry about?' He lent down, grabbing Gavin roughly by the shoulders and shaking him slightly, desperate to get him to understand.  
'It is NOT your fault Gavin. NONE of this is your fault! There are just some fucking disgusting, sick people in the world who get off on causing pain to others. Some people just need to be fucking shot in the head. I swear to fucking GOD, if I ever get my hands on the fucker, he will wish his mother never gave birth to him!'  
They looked at each other, both aware that Michael was no longer talking about the Halo guy.  
Michael was shaking with the effort of trying to suppress his rage, as he could now see that his outburst had terrified the other lad, and that Gavin was also trembling under his fingers. He relaxed his grip and stood up to sit back on the sofa, ashamed of his lack of control.  
'I'm sorry Gav...I just...yeah' He rubbed the back of his neck uncomfortably.  
Gavin nodded, looking intently at the carpet.  
Both lads sat without talking. The silence in the room was only broken by Gavin sniffing, desperately trying to stop the tears that still threatened to fall.  
Again, it was Michael who couldn't take the tension.  
'Do you wanna order a pizza?'  
Gavin looked up confused, and the two made eye contact. Michael couldn't help put let out a soft chuckle at the absurdity of the situation. Gavin cracked a wonky smile, and suddenly the two were doubled over, barks and shrieks of laughter erasing the negative atmosphere completely. When they regained their composure, Gavin wiping his eyes as tears of mirth rolled down his face, Michael grabbed the pizza menu, and ordered their usual meat feasts.

When their pizzas arrived ('My treat for being such a mong earlier, Gavvers!') they put on some crappy Netflix animated family film, both of them taking the piss out of the voice acting and twee characters, neither really paying attention to the plot, just soaking in the comfortable warmth of each other's company.  
When Gavin started to yawn, Michael found him an over-sized T-shirt to sleep in, and insisted that he take the double bed, and he-Michael- would take the camp bed and set it up in the living room.  
After an exchange of 'goodnight' and 'sweet dreams' and 'seriously get the fuck to bed before I change my mind and make YOU crash on the sofa', the men snuggled down under their respective bed covers. Michael quietly listened, straining his ears, until Gavin stopped turning and shifting in his bed, and his breathing evened out as he drifted into sleep. Only when he was sure that his boi was safely asleep, did Michael allow himself to be lulled into unconsciousness. 

_M'kay so this was gonna be one HUGE chapter, but due to the length being so wildly different to the other chapters, I've split it into 2 parts. Part 2 will be up when I've finished tweaking it _


End file.
